Bike customisation is about being reborn, just applied to a mechanical, mostly inert object. You start off with a complete strip down and then head down the arduous one way road of rebuilding it culminating in an altered apparition. Hopefully better, more in tune with what the requirements are. A lot of time, it’s about what the client wants.
Case in point, Rufus, as we now affectionately call this red headed step child of a 2014 Kawasaki KLX250. A bike that until now, no one really seemed to want. We first customised this bike back in 2016. Then it sort of just hung around the Temple, never quite fitting the bill of anyone’s wants, needs or requirements. It was a great bike to have because it was always there to be ridden by friends and family that blew into town asking for the use of a reliable steed. Probably why we never thought much about it.
World shutdown happened and the bike began to collect a little dust. Enter Ricardo. He was after something to move him about the island, from surf spot to surf spot and home again. Something that had a good squirt of power and could handle the lumps and bumps of the islands less than pristine infrastructure.
He wanted simplicity and refinement. Subtle and efficient. He also had a few personal requirements; a little rear rack to strap on a day’s worth of gear, discrete rear foot pegs to enable his son to ride pillion with him, a bigger rear cog to make the long rides to Uluwatu a little less punishing and tyres with more road than off in them.
To attain the desired simplicity, we dug deep during the design phase, and is often the case, simple actually translated to a slew of work. In lay terms, we needed to make a pile of perfectly fabricated handmade aluminium body parts and panels.
Standing back and taking it in, now it’s all done, the final shapes and styles of the tank, fenders, guards and side covers are more reminiscent of a bike from a different period or era. Add to that a little discrete branding atop the deep red killer paint job, and we gotta say, it’s fantastic to see this red headed step child finally have its place in the world.
Rebuilt in 2021.
- Custom subframe, seat and removable rear aluminium day-pack rack.
- Hand fabricated - alloy gas tank & badges, alloy side covers, alloy headlight housing, alloy fenders, alloy chain guard, alloy fork guards, alloy radiator shrouds, & alloy engine guard.
- US Import FMF POWERCORE4 exhaust & header.
- US Import handlebars, Biltwell hand grips & embroidered DXM Canvas covered foam bar pad.
- 21” TK Racing front rim, 19” TK Racing front rim, with Shinko 70/30 Track Master tyres.
- LED headlight, cast rear LED stop light & bullet style indicators.
- New OEM larger front and rear sprockets and chain.
- Proprietary removable surf racks.
- Polished engine covers and crankcase covers and polished swing arm.
- Deep red paint work.
Rider: Dylan Kaczmarek
Bengkel Boys: Arwin & Koko
Photos: Didit Prasetyo Adiwibowo
